City Of Heroes: A Quite Real Game
by A. K. Michaels
Summary: In the near future, upgrades have been made to the game of City Of Heroes, making it quite realistic.....


City Of Heroes Fanfic

Introduction 

The year: 2008. Four years after an MMORPG known only as "City Of Heroes" made its debut in markets, and was a complete hit. People across the world fell in love with this game, and the producers of the game made millions.

Now, this awesome game's creators have put out an addition to this game, still popular four years after its release. Now, there are multiple changes to the game that has completely revolutionized the experience for the gamer.

First of all and most importantly, the player wears a "Virtual Immersion Cap". This contraption inserts the player's conscience into the game, creating a whole new gaming experience for the player. The VIC allows the player to be placed into the game, and see, feel, and do things in the game as if the game were a reality.

Another thing is that many aspects of the game have changed. With the introduction of VICs, enemies and NPCs were given personalities, so as to interact with the players and make the world of the game seem real. Even the universe of the game is more interactive; such as the buildings are all real buildings, enterable and fully interactive. Also, many new powers and fighting techniques were added to the game, some more interactive to the user than others, such as weapon-based fighting styles (I.E katana). Also, the powers and how they are used in the game have become highly customizable. For instance, if a player had broadsword for a power, they could customize the appearance of the broadsword, even choose whether the broadsword is a regular steel broadsword, or a laser sword.

But, one of the more interesting, difficult, and almost controversial additions to the game is the addition of character villains. Characters playing the game are able to become evil villains through doing evil and malevolent deeds. If a character wishes to become a villain, they must do enough evil deeds (such as terrorizing citizens and destroying city property) to get them recognized as a villain. There are even special contacts that give you evil missions. Once one becomes a villain, they can fight other heroes (engage in player versus player battles), control minions, and even mark territory as their own. The introduction of villains to City Of Heroes has added a whole new element to the game play, and has even created a possibility of plotlines.

The story revolves around a young boy of 15 by the name of Michael, who is a high school student, and has just obtained City Of Heroes after much prompting from his friends: Anne, Elizabeth, Francesca, and Axel. Michael buys the game, and sits in school, awaiting the sweet freedom of the ringing school bell.

Chapter 1: A Whole New World

2:55 PM. Michael anxiously sat in his seat, staring up at the clock as the minute hand slowly and tortuously made its way to the 12. Michael was a tall, thin boy, with very pale skin. He always wore very nice collared shirts, and unbelievably clean-looking cargo pants. Michael never was into sports, but preferred literature, writing, and most of all: video games. Although a kind, polite, and charismatic boy, he was made fun of, and claimed to be "nerdy", or "pale", or a variety of other things. But, despite the people who made fun of him, he had his group of friends.

Elizabeth was a short but very spunky young lass. She always had an abundance of energy, and always was the bright sunshine of Michael's motley group, and always seemed to pick up the group when they seemed in a slump. Despite her bright and ecstatic demeanor, she would always dress in very dark clothing, giving her a very gothic air to her.

Francesca, like Elizabeth, was a very energetic girl. Her personality was very erratic, and quite unpredictable. One minute, she may be in a cloud of dark moodiness, the next minute she may be happy as a clam. Francesca didn't really have much of a specific style to her dressing preferences, but nearly every shirt she wore would have one of her many favorite cartoon characters on it.

Anne was always the smartest and most logical person in the group. Always calm, collected, and eerily quiet, she would keep the group in line. Like Michael, Anne would dress in an unusually nice fashion. She would always wear skirts and very fine silk shirts with very wide sleeves. Also, she was forced to wear a pair of thick glasses, accentuating her bookworm-ish appearance.

Last in the group was Axel. Axel was but a nickname, and nobody in the group spoke of Axel's true name. Axel hated his first name, and he even requested of teachers and other adults to refer to him as Axel. Axel was very short for his age, and was oftentimes made fun of for it. Axel always strove to accomplish and be a "big man", sometimes feeling embarrassed of his height. He would wear very macho clothing to further accentuate his illusion of toughness, from his leather jacket to his torn jeans.

Michael and his group would always stick together. They were all in 9th grade in their high school, and (coincidentally) they all shared the same class schedule. No matter what happened, they were fast friends, and always stuck by each other.

Michael sighed as he gazed longingly at the clock.

"Come on…. Move to three already!" Michael screamed in his mind as the teacher went on with a dull lecture on geometry. His eyes wandered to his friends around him. Elizabeth and Francesca were busy doodling in their notebooks. Anne was engrossed in an Agatha Christie novel. Axel stared off into space in a half-asleep daze.

Suddenly, a loud ring echoed throughout the halls, and the class stood up, putting away their books and packing their bags.

"Finally!" Michael sighed as the five of them walked out into the halls and on their way out of the school. "Friday at last! The weekend is at last upon us."

"Woo-hoo!" Elizabeth shouted, jumping up in the air and clapping her hands together. "This week has been soooooo hard! I can't wait to get home."

"Yes, I too wish to return home. I have to get a head start on my homework." Anne uttered cheerfully. The entire group stopped and stared at her.

"Anne, when will you ever learn?" Francesca said, stepping up and patting her on the back. "Sunday is for homework, Friday is for fun! Fun, fun, fun!" Anne sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I like to get my work done before my weekend starts, then I am completely free to play City Of Heroes and read all weekend." Anne said mockingly, as if a teacher lecturing a group of lazy students.

"Yeah, I guess so. But, the second I get home I'm getting right on City Of Heroes. I'm raring to go do some fighting!" Axel said, smiling and cracking his neck. "Hey, Michael, aren't you going to start playing today?" Michael nodded and smiled as they turned a corner and walked through the immense double doors of the school, leading out toward the school buses.

"Yes, actually. As soon as I get home I'm going to make my first character and start playing. I can't wait. But, are you guys sure this is safe?" They all nodded.

"Don't be worried, be happy!" Elizabeth said, ruffling Michael's short, messy hair in a friendly fashion. "It is safe as safe can be safely safe! You have nothing to worry. And even if your character dies in the game, you are instantly revived in a hospital and back on the streets before you know it!" Michael cringed at the word "die", but sighed and smiled.

"Alright, alright. You guys convinced me. So, how are we all going to meet?" Michael asked as they all filled in onto a bus and sat down in near enough to each other so they could all safely converse.

"We'll meet at Ms. Liberty in Atlas Park. That's where all newbies go, and it's also a popular meeting place." Anne said, realigning her glasses with her face buried in her book.

"Yeah, and it's where you go when you have enough experience to level up!" Axel said excitedly.

"Wow, this all sounds so complicated… I don't know how I'm going to manage to remember it all." Michael said, lowering his head and looking away from the rest of the group, embarrassed by his newbieness.

"So…. have you decided what archetype you are going to be in the game?" Anne asked curiously, poking her head out from behind Michael and resting it on the back of his seat.

"Well, I really don't know yet." Michael said, scratching his head and thinking intently upon the five different character archetypes he had read about in the manual.

"You should be a shooter," Francesca said excitedly. "You'll have choices from all kinds of ranged attacks. You can even get an assault rifle! It's so much fun!" She made a gun with her thumb and index finger, shooting happily at the air.

"I personally have found defenders to be quite delightful." Anne said with a smile behind the pages of her book. "You get healing and support powers, as well as ranged combat magic. It is a perfect combination."

"Controllers are the best!" Elizabeth exclaimed, poking out from Michael's side. "You get all kinds of spells that can really annoy and mess up your enemies! You can send them flying into the air, I LOVE IT!"

"Tankers rule." Axel said, cracking his knuckles. "You can take some serious punishment, and really dish it out."

"Well, thanks for all your help, guys. But, what about scrappers? I hear they are pretty good." Michael said with a shrug.

"They're OK. They're good at close range fighting." Francesca said unenthusiastically. "But, they get some nice stuff." Michael nodded and sighed, slouching down in his seat.

"Good grief, this is going to take a while…" Michael said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, you'll get it." Axel said, giving Michael the thumbs-up. "It ain't so bad once you get use to it."

The bus stopped at Michael's house and he walked out of the bus, looking back at his friends and waving.

"We'll see you in an hour!" Elizabeth called out through an open window.

"Remember, we meet at Ms. Liberty in Atlas Park." Anne shouted as the bus took off again. Michael smiled and nodded, and walked down the multicolored tile path leading to his house.

"Mom, I'm home!" Michael called as he dropped off his backpack at the door and made his way to the kitchen.

"Well hello, Michael." Crooned a female voice at the sink washing dishes. She set down the plate and turned to him, smiling. "All ready for the weekend, are we?"

"Yeah, mom." Michael said, making his way to the fridge and taking out a bottle of iced tea. In one swift turn he removed the cap and drank heavily the delicious, cool liquid. "Hey mom, I got some stuff to do tonight. If I don't come down for dinner, leave me my portions in the fridge, OK?"

"Alright, honey. Anyway, your father is going to be home late tonight, so we're ordering Chinese." She said with a cheerful smile as she returned to her dishes.

"Great. Just get me an egg roll and some sesame chicken, and don't skip on the steamed dumplings too. See ya later!" Michael said as he rushed off out of the kitchen toward his room, still clutching his drink.

He opened the door to his room and smiled. The room was almost unnaturally tidy. All his books were set in their shelves, his bed was made, and his computer table was completely organized.

"You never cease to amaze me, mother," he muttered under his breath. He kicked off his shoes and sat down at his computer table, logging in to City Of Heroes. "Hmm…let's see…I gotta make a character? Fine, I'm ready."

He began his way through the character creation process with little trouble. "Hmm…Mutation…scrapper…and what powers should I choose? Hmm…ooh, "blazing melee". That sounds like fun…and…enhanced reflexes. There! Ok…appearance…hmm…" He spoke. He scratched his chin meticulously. "Normal male, tallest possible, least muscular." He continued through the appearance creation, amazed at how his dream hero was coming to life. Soon, he had a hero wearing black bell-bottom jeans, a dark red leather jacket, black folded gloves, enormous black sunglasses, and bright-red finned boots. Its skin was pale white, its hair clean and light blue, falling down to its shoulders, and the image had a wide smile. "Perfect!" He said, and clicked his mouse on the 'OK' button.

"Please put on your Virtual Immersion Cap." Spoke the computer in a mechanical monotone.

"Well, here goes everything." Michael said nervously. With a long gulp, he picked up the strange circular device that was the VIC and set it upon his head, pulling the odd visor over his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt his whole body being lifted into the air, out of his room, and into a swirling vortex of blue and green colors. He felt yanked through the rising rushing tunnel around him, and his body began to change. He watched in awe as his body transformed into the creation he gazed upon but a minute ago. He grew taller, his muscles toned, he could feel the softness of his clothing, his greasy brown hair lengthened and changed color, and his vision behind the sunglasses was draped with a veil of thin dark shading.

The swirling lights around him faded, and he finally felt the hard ground under his booted feet. He looked around anxiously, unsure of what to make of the area he had been thrust into. He was in a thin alleyway between two enormously tall buildings. The ground was a dingy pavement, covered with a thousand thoughts and feelings expressed through spray-paint. The scent of dirt and blood wafted through the air. The sounds of cars, people talking, and screams danced around his ears.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Called a voice from a fire escape above him. Three large men stared down at him. Their dark-skinned faces were adorned by a strange white paint in the shape of a skull's face. One held a knife, one a shotgun, and one a sledgehammer.

"Looks like we got another one of the capes and cowls around here." Said the one with the knife tossing it up in the air and catching it in a threateningly skillful fashion.

"I say we rough him up a bit." Said the one with the shotgun, pumping in a round menacingly.

"Hey guys, I don't want any trouble," Michael said slowly backing away from the three men. "Besides, I don't wear a cape or a cowl."

"Funny, 'cause we DO want trouble, super-loser." Uttered the one with the knife, hopping down from the fire escape and making his way toward Michael. Michael backed away, his heart beating powerfully in his chest. He broke into a run, but was stopped at the other end of the alley by another man with a painted face, grinding his knuckles together.

"Aw, I'm gonna bust you up so bad, capey boy." Said the man clenching his fists and smiling deviously.

They closed in on Michael like a pack of hunting lions. They laughed as they continued closer and closer, instilling a deep fear within Michael as he pressed himself against a wall. He closed his eyes and hung his head low, awaiting his impending doom.

Suddenly, a violent gust blew, blasting back the thugs against the other wall of the alley. Michael opened his eyes. Did he do that? He looked up, and saw a strange figure standing on one of the fire escapes. The figure was short and thin, with a wiry tail that wound about behind him. It wore a large hood over its face, and thin eyes that glowed bright yellow. Its entire body was a deep purple, but from Michael's point of view seemed to be almost black. The figure leapt from the fire escape and stopped in the air, hovering high above the furious thugs.

"It's another one of them! Forget the baby, get him!" Shouted the one with the shotgun, and began unloading round after round at the mysterious stranger.

The bullets hit the figure forcefully, but with no effect. The figure lashed out a hand at the man, and he was lifted a few feet into the air. The figure flung his hand above his head, and the thug shot high into the air, disappearing into the polluted gray clouds.

The rest of the thugs growled and put away their weapons and pulled out pistols, firing incessantly at the floating danger above them. The bullets hit, but still with no effect whatsoever. The figure's eyes suddenly glowed fiercely. The men stopped shooting, and were lifted five feet into the air, and slammed back down forcefully.

Michael watched as the men were repeatedly lashed against the cold hard ground, his eyes filled with awe behind his sunglasses.

With one final smash, the men disappeared into thin air. The figure turned to Michael and spoke.

"Stay out of King's Row, newbie." With those words, the puzzling stranger flew off into the sky, disappearing over a house. Michael sank down against the unyielding concrete earth, trying to make out what had just happened. Who was that stranger? Why was he so powerful? And what in the world is King's Row?

"Hey newbie!" Called a female voice from a rooftop above Michael. A woman dropped down from the building, landing in the alley with relative ease. She wore garments that were reminiscent of Robin Hood; a tight shirt and skirt that was close-fitting against her slender frame in an intense lavender, a feathered cap of the same color, and small brown shoes. Her hair was short under her cap, and was a vivid sky-blue. Across her chest the letters "DA" was drawn, as if a hint as to the woman's identity. She looked at him confusedly. "What are you doing here? You're only level one, and you're in King's Row! Are you crazy?"

"Well…I…uh…I just started. And how did you know I was level one?" Michael asked, truly baffled by the perplexing woman's knowledge of him.

"If you look at a character, and ask for their level and other things about them within your mind, it will come to you. It's how the game works." The girl said obviously. She walked up to him and stared hard into his sunglasses. "Are you new here?"

"Yes I just started." Michael said, standing up nervously under the girl's gaze.

"Is that you Michael?" The girl asked, a smile creeping across her lips.

"Yes my name is Michael. Who are you? How do you know my name?" Michael asked curiously, wondering who on earth this girl could be and why she knew his name.

"It's me! Francesca!" She said happily with a wide smile on her face.

"Francesca? Wow, I didn't even recognize you. This is incredible… You look so…mature." Michael said, awestricken by the sight of his longtime friend.

"Oh stop it. Anyway, I wouldn't expect you to recognize me. In City Of Heroes, you make your own character with any appearance you want."

"I think I've figured that out. Now, where is everyone? And how do I get out of here?" Michael asked as they walked out of the alleyway and into the streets.

"Take the metro. That's the best way to get between areas, and it's free!" Francesca said happily as she lead him up a white ramp to the metro station. "You will find yourself using this all the time, trust me." They walked into the station and got on a metro headed for Atlas Park.

The train stopped with a screeching halt in Atlas Park station, and opened its door. All the various NPCs and players filled out and made their way out from the station. Francesca and Michael followed, and Michael caught site of something like nothing he had ever seen in his life.

"What in the world are those?" Michael exclaimed, pointing at all the colossal statues around city hall.

"Just scenery. The game's creators wanted to make emphasis on the importance of heroes is City Of Heroes. Come on, we're almost there, and everyone is waiting for us." Francesca said, breaking into a run towards a giant statue holding an even larger globe. Michael smiled and chased after her.

"Hey! Everyone! I found Michael." Francesca shouted as they approached a large rectangular fountain. Three other players stood by the fountain, two females and one male. The three looked to them and smiled.

"Glad to see you made it through, Mike." Called the male in a voice reminiscent of Axel's. He was very tall and inhumanly muscular, almost apelike. He wore brown tights across his body that looked like they were composed of solid rock. His head was covered in the same earthen pattern, making his entire body look like he was a giant rocky mass.

"YAY! Michael's here! We can go have some fun!" Shouted one of the females, jumping up and down, clapping, and showing definite signs of being Elizabeth. Her upper body was adorned with a leather top that covered her midriff and chest, but left her pale shoulders bare. Her gloves had the fingers cut out, and extended up her arm. Her pants were tight jeans, ending at her stiletto-heeled shoes. Her long hair and entire outfit was a solid, shining black.

"Well hello, Michael. It is quite nice to see you." Spoke the third player, Anne, by process of elimination. She wore a long, flowing white dress with a blue flame pattern all across it, and she wore open high-heeled sandals. Her long, auburn tresses fell down to her waist and shimmered in the simulated light of digital day. A glimmering halo floated above her head, and luminous white wings extended from her back.

Michael was completely dumbfounded at the site of his friends. They were completely different from the people he had known for so many years, and he truly could not believe his eyes.

"My goodness, I do not believe what I see. Axel…you are so large…" Axel laughed and smiled. "Elizabeth…you are so gothic…" Elizabeth giggled and grinned cheerfully. "And Anne…Anne…you are so…so…beautiful." Anne blushed and looked away.

"Well, now that all the flattery's over, lets introduce ourselves, shall we?" Francesca said, stepping out from behind Michael and smiling. "I am: The Dragon Archer! But, if you want, you can just call me DA. I am a shooter, and I favor the bow and arrow, and my many gadgets." Francesca removed the bow that suddenly appeared on her back and made a pose, holding up her middle and index finger in a V-shaped gesture.

"And I am the Rock Of Ages! Since my name's so long, you can just call me The Rock. I'm a tanker, with mastery over the element of stone in both offense and defense." Axel exclaimed, flexing his bulging muscles in a flamboyant fashion.

"I'm Lady Vortex! I'm a controller, with a control over gravity and dark magic." Elizabeth pronounced, putting her hands behind his head and winking. "Oh, and feel free to just call me Vortex if ya want. It's easier that way."

"And I am known as Hestia. I am a defender, with a great talent for healing magic, as well as fiery blasts." Anne said with an elegant bow and a flap of her wings. "And what is your name, Michael?"

"I am…I am…Valor's Fist."


End file.
